Etymology and origin of the French word déférent
déférent1 carrying away (anatomy, astronomy)
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1520 Le Guidon en françois, with the glosses of J. Falcon
- Borrowed from
- Latin deferens
- Ultimate origin
- Latin dēferō
Pronunciation
- /de.fe.ʁɑ̃/[1]
Forms
déférent (feminine déférente, masculine plural déférents, feminine plural déférentes)[1]
Etymology
The word for “carrying away” in anatomy and astronomy is borrowed from Latin dēferēns (“carrying down”), the present participle of dēferō (“to carry down, bring away”).[2][3][4] The same Latin verb gave déférer.[2][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first recorded in 1520, in a French surgical treatise, Le Guidon en françois with Jean Falcon's glosses, in vases spermatiques deferens, the ducts that carry the semen away from the testicles.[2][6]
Semantic evolution
The anatomical use came first, for the duct that carries sperm out of the testicle (canal déférent).[2][6] Paré used it in the 16th century, explaining it as “throwing out”.[5][7] In astronomy it named the imaginary circle that the ancient astronomers used, with the épicycle, to account for the irregular motion of the planets seen from a fixed Earth; it was also used as a noun, le déférent.[2][5] The Académie in 1762 recorded a third use, in minting: déférents were the marks on a coin showing where it was struck and who directed and engraved it.[8][5]
Timeline
- 1520 – Vases spermatiques deferens appears in the French Guidon with Falcon's glosses.[2]
- 16th century – Paré uses deferens of the seminal ducts.[5][7]
- 1762 – The Académie records déférent as a minting term for the marks on a coin.[8]
- 1805 – Cuvier uses déférent as a noun for the seminal duct.[2]
Meanings
Adjective
- (anatomy) Carrying outwards: canal déférent, the vas deferens, the duct that carries sperm from the epididymis.[2][4]
- (astronomy, historical) Cercle déférent or le déférent: the deferent, the circle on which the epicycle of a planet was thought to move.[2][5]
- (minting, noun, dated) A mark on a coin showing the mint, its director and its engraver.[5][8]
déférent2 deferential
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1690 Furetière
- Ultimate origin
- Latin dēferō
Etymology tree of déférent2
From the same root · déférent2
Pronunciation
- /de.fe.ʁɑ̃/[1]
Forms
déférent (feminine déférente, masculine plural déférents, feminine plural déférentes)[1]
Etymology
The word for “deferential” is the present participle, used as an adjective, from French déférer (“to defer to”).[3][2] In this sense the participle was also spelled déférant, the form the Académie gave in 1694; the spelling with ⟨e⟩ won out under the influence of the anatomical adjective.[2][6][3] The verb comes from Latin dēferō (“to carry down, to offer, report”).[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
Furetière's dictionary of 1690 records homme deferent “a man who shows regard for others”.[2][7]
Semantic evolution
The adjective first described a person who yields to others and shows them respect; the Académie in 1694 has deferant “who defers, who gives way”, of a simple, gentle mind.[9][6] Before 1715 Fénelon applied it to a person's manner, in ton déférant “a deferential tone”.[2][6] The noun déférence “respect, regard”, revived in this sense in 1628, was felt to go with it.[6] Both spellings were still found in the 20th century, though déférent is the usual one.[2] As a closing formula in letters, sentiments déférents is less humble than sentiments respectueux.[2]
Timeline
- 1559 – Amyot uses déférer à “to show respect to”.[2]
- 1690 – Furetière records homme deferent.[2][3]
- 1694 – The Académie gives the spelling deferant.[2][9]
- before 1715 – Fénelon writes ton déférant of a manner.[2][6]
- 1863 – Littré records the sense “showing deference” of an attitude or tone.[7]
Meanings
Adjective
Related words
Usage notes
The Grand Robert numbers two words: déférent (1) “carrying away” (1520), from Latin, and déférent (2) “deferential” (1690), from déférer with the form of the first.[3] The spelling déférant is still met in the sense “deferential”.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
- ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c Académie française (1762), Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, 4th ed., Paris: Brunet
- ^ a b Académie française (1694), Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, 1st ed., Paris: Coignard
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Déférent.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/d%C3%A9f%C3%A9rent. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
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